Rooza by Nadiya Hussain – Cookbook Review and Giveaway
February 17, 2025 by JennyEnter our US giveaway to win one of two copies of Rooza: A Journey through Islamic Cuisine Inspired by Ramadan and Eid by Nadiya Hussain.
Nadiya Hussain’s star has continued to rise since winning The Great British Bake Off in 2015. Authoring ten cookbooks and several children’s titles along with many cooking shows.
In Rooza, Nadiya describes Ramadan as an old friend she looks forward to each year. During this holy month of fasting and spiritual reflection for Muslims, observers abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset. While fasting requires discipline, Nadiya channels her anticipation of the holiday by decorating her home with banners, balloons, and sparkly lights. When sunset arrives, she prepares meals that are both nutritious and delicious. As a mother, she particularly cherishes how Ramadan brings her teenage children (ages 14 to 18) eagerly to the dinner table. In an interview with The Independent, Nadiya shared, “I get 30 solid days with my kids. I love that, and I know it’s really selfish, but it’s the time when my children are mine. When they have their own families, I’ll gatecrash and be like, ‘I’m coming for dinner now, it’s my turn!'”
The book has faced some criticism for exploring Islamic traditions, but Hussain remains undeterred. As she told The Independent, “I can’t do a Cornish pasty without somebody having a go at me. So yes, of course, I’m totally ready for that to happen, but do I care? No. Can I handle it better? Absolutely. Is it right? No, it’s not right, but I know these things happen.”
Rooza features thirty meals inspired by different countries that observe Ramadan, with recipes spanning from Turkey to Singapore. The approachable dishes, including desserts, represent the diverse culinary traditions of each featured country. The book concludes with a chapter dedicated to Eid-ul-Fitr, the celebration marking the end of Ramadan.
Though I don’t personally celebrate Ramadan, I admire Nadiya’s work and find her recipes appealing. Nearly every dish in this book is one I would enthusiastically prepare and share with my family.
I made the Beef and pea samosas and the naan shared in this recipe: Lamb chops with naan and they were easy to make and quite delicious. I added a brush of garlic butter on my naan as you can see from the photographs.
There are four online recipes to try now:
- Lamb pulao with greens (Kabuli pulao with qorma-e-sabzi)
- Samsas
- Khoshari with buftek
- Vegetable peanut curry with sticky rice
Nadiya’s Cook Once, Eat Twice which was published in the UK last year will be released in the US in March. We hope to bring you a promotion at that time.
Special thanks to the publisher for providing two copies of this title in our promotion open to US Members. Entry options include answering the following question in the comments section of this blog post.
Which recipe in the index would you like to try first?
Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Once you log in and enter your member name you will be directed to the next entry option – the blog comment. After that, there are additional options that you can complete for more entries. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on March 29th, 2025.
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